English

Dynamical classical superfluid-insulator transition in a Bose-Einstein condensate on an optical lattice

Soft Condensed Matter 2009-11-07 v2 Other Condensed Matter

Abstract

We predict a dynamical classical superfluid-insulator transition in a Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC) trapped in a combined optical and axially-symmetric harmonic potentials initiated by a periodic modulation of the radial trapping potential. The transition is marked by a loss of phase coherence in the BEC and a subsequent destruction of the interference pattern upon free expansion. For a weak modulation of the radial potential the phase coherence is maintained. For a stronger modulation and a longer time of holding in the modulated trap, the phase coherence is destroyed signaling a classical superfluid-insulator transition. The results are illustrated by a complete numerical solution of the axially-symmetric mean-field Gross-Pitaevskii equation for a repulsive BEC. Suggestion for future experiment is made.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.cond-mat/0211026,
  title  = {Dynamical classical superfluid-insulator transition in a Bose-Einstein condensate on an optical lattice},
  author = {Sadhan K. Adhikari},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:cond-mat/0211026},
  year   = {2009}
}

Comments

4 Revtex4 pages with 5 eps figures, minor modifications, Accepted in Journal of Physics B